Natural Heritage Parks

Recognizing that the loss of historical ecosystems has had negative impacts on biodiversity, environmental functions, and educational opportunities in the county, Marion County Parks is working to restore some of the landscapes that greeted the area's pioneers and sustained the Native American tribes. These ecosystems included oak savannas, upland prairies, wet prairies, woodlands, riparian gallery forests, shrublands, and rare peat bogs. The Natural Heritage Parks Program was developed by Marion County as one way to begin the restoration of these historical ecosystems.